Joe Lieberman, a former Democratic senator from Connecticut and an architect of the 1990s moral panic surrounding games such as Mortal Kombat, has died from complications from a fall, his family announced in a statement. He was 82 years old.
A former vice presidential candidate known for his centrist politics and hawkish foreign policy, Lieberman is best known by gamers for his outspoken criticism of the video game industry in the 1990s, along with Wisconsin Democrat Herb Kohl. Are known. Lieberman specifically expressed anger at games like “Mortal Kombat,” saying he wished they had been “constitutionally banned” and that they make people more violent.
Lieberman and Cole helped lead Senate hearings on video games in 1993 and 1994 that focused attention on Mortal Kombat and Night Trap and forced Nintendo and Sega to defend their marketing practices. This hearing led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which began operations in 1994.
Video games poked fun at Lieberman's anger. When Mortal Kombat II was released, it included “Friendships”, and co-creator John Tobias added the song as a tribute to the Congressional Hearings.
Lieberman later said in a 2017 interview:[The video game industry] In fact, I think the rating system I came up with at the time (I haven't gone back to it in a long time, to be honest) was the best. It's much better than the movie. ”
Despite this, Lieberman continued to criticize video games throughout the '90s and 2000s, calling games such as Grand Theft Auto: Vice City “terrible.” When former Vice President Al Gore selected Lieberman as his running mate in 2000, the website noted his previous actions and called it a “remarkable choice.”
Mr. Lieberman narrowly lost the 2000 election along with Mr. Gore, but continued to be active for more than 10 years. He announced his retirement in 2012 and subsequently joined the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.
Meanwhile, violence in video games remains a hot topic of debate, with former President Donald Trump claiming in a meeting with gaming executives in 2018 that games are “shaping the minds of young people.” Video games are now worth tens of billions of dollars, so the argument that Lieberman helped shape them isn't likely to end anytime soon.
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Kat Bailey is IGN's news director and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Any tips? DM her at @the_katbot.
